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PODCAST: Aviation and the FAA: Unmanned Aircraft Systems — C&M’s First 100 Days Series

Client Alert | 1 min read | 12.14.16

As part of Crowell & Moring’s “First 100 Days” podcast series, Marc Warren, chair of the firm’s Aviation Group, and Steve Seiden, counsel in the group, sit down to discuss how the Trump Administration might affect the regulatory climate for commercial drones. Marc previously served as the deputy chief counsel of the Federal Aviation Administration, and Steve also served the FAA in various capacities, including a one-year assignment as special counsel to the agency’s chief counsel.

Discussed in this 18 minute podcast:

  • Why Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) are the next big thing, their potential, and industry and business applications.
  • Current state of regulatory play – pilot requirements, when and where drones can be flown, and the waiver process.
  • Opportunities and challenges for the Trump Administration.
  • Near-term issues (a forthcoming notice of proposed rulemaking on microdrones).
  • What’s next? (large drones, operations over people, and fully autonomous drones).
  • Other issues worth tracking (Federal preemption, potential conflicts with state laws, and privacy issues).

Click below to listen or access from one of these links:
PodBean | SoundCloud | iTunes

Insights

Client Alert | 5 min read | 07.20.26

DOJ and DHS Issue Interim Final Rule on State and Local Counter-Drone Authority Under the SAFER SKIES Act

On July 6, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published an Interim Final Rule (IFR) setting up a new federal framework that allows state, local, Tribal, and territorial (SLTT) law enforcement and correctional agencies to detect, track, and, in some cases, disable or seize drones. The rule directly affects SLTT agencies looking to stand up counter-drone programs, as well as drone and counter-drone technology companies whose products will be subject to federal review and approval. Although the IFR bypassed the Administrative Procedure Act’s standard notice-and-comment process on good cause grounds — citing the statutory 180-day deadline and urgent public safety needs — the rule is already legally binding and effective as of July 1, 2026. The Departments are nonetheless accepting post-promulgation comments through September 4, 2026....

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